Automobile lock



March 2 1926.

P. C. PINKERTON AUTOMOBILE LOCK Filed NOV. 11 1924 Patented Mar. 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUroMoinLE LOCK.

Application filed November 11,1924; Serial No. 749,225.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER C. PINKERTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile Locks, of which the following is a specification. a

My said invention relates to a combined hood and ignition lock for automobiles and it is an object of the invention to provide a construction whereby through turning of a key in a lock located on the instrument board within convenient reach of the driver both the primary and secondary ignition circuits may be controlled and the hood securely locked and unlocked, all as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed;

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts,

- Figure 1 is a view showing the application of my invention,

Figure 2 a similar view showing the means for locking the hood and for controlling the circuits,

Figure 3 a detail view of a contact'element shown in Figure 2,

Figure 4 an enlarged detail view of oneof the hooks for securing the hood in closed position, and Figure 5 an enlarged detail view showing one of the pairs of contacts for breaking the secondary circuit.

In said drawings reference characters 10, 11, 12 and 13 indicate respectively the instrument board, foot board, chassis and hood of an automobile of the conventional type. A look 14 preferably of the tumblertype having a bolt 15, adapted to'be operated by a key 16, is mounted on the instrument board or dash of the automobile and to the bolt 15 is connected a rod 16 housed in a casing 17 extending forwardly of the ve-- hicle through the foot board 11. The casing 17 is preferably a heat treated style tube of sufiicient hardness to safeguard the same against mutilation by sawing or other ordinary instruments. A bracket 18. is secured beneath the foot board 11 and the end of the casing 17 is provided with a nut 19 by means of which the foot board is prevented from beingdremoved except by accessbeneath the may The lower end of the rod 16 is preferably polygonalshaped for the reception of a head or bar 20 having a similarly shaped opening, and a screw is provided holding the parts firmly together so that the rotatlon of the rod 16 will also rotate the head 20. The ends of the head 20 are provided with ball elements 21 to which are secured the socket elements 22 of rods 23 located transversely of the automobile and extending through openings in brackets 24 mounted on the side members of the chassis 12 and further being adapted to be projected through aligned openings 25 in the hood catches or hooks 26. A fiber insulating member 27 is secured to the head 20 and is provided at its lower edge with acontact element 28 having one terminal 29 of the primary circuit secured thereto. A- cooperating contact element 30 is carried by a bracket 31 having an adjusting screw 32 to which a ground terminal 33 of the primary circuit is secured. The contact element 30 is mounted in the path of the contact element 28 and the screw 32 the parts.

The hood clamps or hooks 26 are carried by handles 34 telescoping rods secured on the inside of the chassis angle irons so that it will be difficult to remove the same and a spring is confined between the extremities of each of the bolts and the.lower portion of each of the handles 34 so that'the clamps or hooks 26 are normally projected downwardly and when in engagement with the. hinged sides of'the hood serve to firmly hold the same in closed position. Mounted on the bracket 24 is an insulating block 35 having a contact screw 36 to which is attached one terminal-37 of the secondary circuitand is adapted to be engaged by a contact 38 having the other terminal 39 of the secondary circuit attached thereto, the contact 38 being carried by the rod 23.

In the operation of the device the parts H shown 1n Figure 2 in locked position may be unlocked by the insertion of the key 16 in the look 14 and turning the same the rod 16 and the head orbar 20 are given a quarter so be utilized for varying the pressure ofv i turn bringing the contact 28 against the contact 30 completing the primary circuit and at the same time withdrawing the rods 23 from engagement with the clamps or hooks 26 and drawingthe contact 38 into engagement with the contact 36 thus closing the secondary ignition circuit when the parts are in the position for the engine to be started. It will be understood that a reversal of this operation serves to break the contact between contact elements 28 and 30 and also between contact elements 36 and 38 and the ends of the rods or bolts 23 projectinto perforations 25 in the clamps or hooks 26 to securely lockthe hood in closed position. By this means it will be seen that a lock is provided for the ignition system and for the hood of the automobile which is readily operable from the drivers seat and which must be operated to lock the car before the ignition system can be broken and the engine stopped.

Obviously the breaking of the secondary circuit might be dispensed with, however, the plurality of breaks would occasion con: siderable delay in the operation of a professional thief thereby rendering less likely the removal of the automobile.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in my device without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore I do not limit myselffi secure the same in closed position said hooks to the precise construction shown in the drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my said invention What I claim is:

1. In an automobile a switch interposed in the primary ignitioncircuit, a switch interposed in the secondary ignition circuit, a rod supporting said primary ignition switch and adapted to be rotated to operate said switch, a key operated bolt connected to said rod, a key for operating said bolt, sliding rods carried by said primary ignition switch and adapted to be reciprocated upon the operation of said switch, hood clamps having hooks adapted to engage the side of the hood to secure the same in closed position said hooks being adapted to cooperate with the sliding bolts to lock the hood in closed position, contact elements carried by raid sliding bolts said contact elements being interposed in the secondary ignition circuit, and cooperating contact elements adapted to be engaged by said contact elements on the sliding bolts for making and breaking the secondary ignition circuit, substantially as set forth.

2. In an automobile a switch interposed in the primary'ignition circuit, a switch interposed in the secondary ignition circuit, a rod supporting said primary ignition switch and adapted to be rotated to operate said switch, a key operated bolt having connection with said rod, a key for operating said bolt, sliding rods carried by said primary ignition switch and adapted to be moved longitudinally upon the operation of said switch, hood clamps having hooks adapted to extend through the side of the hood to secure the same in closed position said hooks l aving openings for the ends of said sliding bolts, contact elements carried by said sliding bolts said contact elements being interposed in the secondary ignition circuit, and cooperating contact elements adapted to be engaged by said contact elements on the sliding bolts for making and breaking the secondary ignition circuit, substantially as set forth.

3. In an automobile a switch interposed in the primary ignition circuit, a switch interposed in the secondary ignition circuit, a rod supporting said primary ignition switch and adapted to be rotated to operate said switch said rod extending through the foot board and in close proximity to the instrument board, a key operated bolt mounted on said instrument board and having connection with said rod, a key for operating said bolt, sliding rods carried by said primary ignition switch and adapted to be moved longitudinally upon the operation of said switch, hood clamps having hooks adapted to extend through the side of the hood to having openings to receive the ends of said sliding bolts, contact elements of the secondary ignition circuit carried by said sliding bolts and cooperating contact element's adapted to be engaged by said contact elements on the sliding bolts for making and breaking the secondary ignition circuit, substantially as set forth.

4. In an automobile aswitch interposed in the primary ignition circuit, a switch interposed in the secondary ignition circuit, a rod supporting said primary ignition switch adjacent its lower end and adapted to be rotated to operate said switch said rod extending through the foot board and in close proximity to the instrument board, a key operated bolt mounted on said instrument board and having universal connection with said rod, a key for operating said bolt, sliding rods swivelly connected to said primary ignition switch one at each end thereof and adapted to be moved longitudinally upon the operation of said switch, brackets supporting said rods adjacent their outer ends, hood clamps on the chassis of the automobile having portions adapted to extend through the sides of the hood to secure the same in closed position said portions adapted to extend through the sides of the hood having openings to receive the ends of said sliding bolts, contact elements carried by said sliding bolts said contact elements being interposed in the secondary ignition circuit, and cooperating contact elements on said supporting brackets adapted to be engaged by said contact elements on the sliding bolts for making and breaking the secondary ignition circuit, substantially as set forth.

5. A lock for automobiles comprising a switch interposed in the primary ignition ignition circuit, a support for the primaryignition switch adapted to be moved to operate said switch, a key operated member having a connection'with said support, looking members associated with said primary ignition switch adaptedto be actuated upon t e operation of said switch, fastening elements for fastening the hood in closed position and adapted for cooperation with the locking members to lock the hood in said closed position, contacts in the secondary ignition circuit associated with said locking members, and additional contacts for cooperation with the contacts on the locking members for making and breakin the sec ondary ignition circuit, substantially {as set forth. p

6. A look comprising a switch interposed in an electrical circuit, a switch interposed in a second electrical circuit, an operable member having a connection with the mov-" able element of said first mentioned switch,

locking members associated with said movable element and adapted to be operated therewith, fastening elements ada ted to be locked by said locking elements in a fixed position, contacts in said second electrical circuit associated with said locking members, and additional contacts for cooperation with the contacts on the locking members for makin and breaking the second electrical circuit, substantially as set forth. 7

7. In an automobile having an instrument board, a foot board and a hood, a switch interposed in the ignition circuit, a rod extending from the instrument board through the floor board and having the movable member of said switchsupported thereon beneath the floor board, said rod being adapted to be rotated to operate said switch, a housing for said rod having been subjected to a hardening process to safeguard the same against mutilation, a locking element pivoted to the movable member of said switch and adapted to be operated from the instrument board to lock the board in position, substantially as set forth.

. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set I my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 7th day of October, A. D. nineteen nun-- dred and twenty-four.

PETER c. PINKERTON. 1 s. 1 

